Off to the Races!
by SakakinoRisa
Summary: The girls decide to visit the new racetrack outside of town one weekend. This is their story... You don't have to be a fan of racing to enjoy it, I believe. Reviews are always welcome!
1. Off to the Races!

Off to the Races

I do not own Azumanga Diaoh or any of its characters therein. I make no money no this story. Enjoy!

Miss Yukari was staring at the clock. There were 5 minutes left in class before the weekend. The class was sitting quietly, despite Tomo balancing her pencil in between her nose and her top lip.

"Come on, you stupid clock!" Yukari thought.

Suddenly a loud thud echoed throughout the room, followed by a voice.

"Ow," Osaka said.

Osaka had fallen asleep, letting her head fall on the desk in front of her.

Yukari glared at Osaka, but restrained herself from yelling. It was too close to the end of the day to get upset.

The bell rang, and before the class could react, Yukari ran out the door, yelling behind her. "See everybody next week, don't be late!"

The class began to gather their things, and the group joined together.

"What y'all doing this weekend?" Osaka asked.

"Let's do something fun instead of just sitting around all day!" Tomo exclaimed.

"Does that mean barging in on me in my room unannounced again?" Yomi asked.

Tomo smiled. "Maybe!"

Chiyo perked up. "I have an idea! There's a new speedway outside of town that recently opened. I'd like to see what safety features are in racing cars."

Yomi laughed. "Wanting to see what you want Miss Yukari to have in her car, Chiyo-chan?"

Chiyo nodded. "I can make some suggestions to Miss Yukari."

"Wow, racing cars. I wonder what the cars get when they win?" Osaka pondered.

"Miss Osaka, the drivers and owners split the money. The cars themselves don't receive anything..." Chiyo corrected.

Tomo threw her fist in the air. "Then it's settled! We're going to the races this weekend!"

Yomi looked down at her side. "I wonder if the food in the stands will have an impact on my diet?" she thought to herself.

Tomo slyly slid in behind Yomi. "And I don't think they'll have any healthy food there, Yomi."

Yomi turned red, and nodded. "Then I'll just eat before we leave then."

Tomo grabbed Yomi around her waist and began walking with her out of the classroom. "I'll buy you a hot dog! Come on, it'll be good!"

Chiyo finished packing her books in her bag and looked up at Miss Sakaki. "Are you coming with us too, Miss Sakaki?" she asked.

Sakaki nodded. "Sure."

Kagura joined them. "I'll go to. Coach canceled swim practice this weekend. Something important came up that she had to do."

Chiyo smiled. "Alright then, let's get ready. I'm sure we'll enjoy ourselves!"

Kaorin overheard their conversation. As they were walking out of the classroom, she was grinning from ear to ear.

"Miss Sakaki, at a racetrack? Maybe if I'm lucky, she'll wear one of those race queen outfits! She'd look so cool!"

Smiling at her good fortune, Kaorin knew where she'd be this weekend.


	2. On the Train

The next morning, the gang met up at Chiyo's house. It was towards the end of spring, and the weather was starting to get warm. The sun was shining brightly, and few clouds were in the sky. Chiyo was bringing the drinks. She had a red cooler with Neco Coneco on it. Miss Sakaki blushed as she saw it.

"Chiyo, do you mind if I carry the drinks?" Sakaki asked.

"Not at all Miss Sakaki!" Chiyo cheerfully said as she handed her the cooler.

Sakaki wrapped the strap around her arm and blushed as she petted the front of the cooler.

"Alright!" Tomo exclaimed. "Let's get going! Do you think we should walk there? Yomi could use it!"

A quick chop to the head by Yomi followed.

"Ow," Tomo said as she rubbed her head. "Why did you do that for?"

"Because you deserved it!" Yomi said.

As they made their way towards the train station, Osaka kept the conversation lively.

"Did you know there are more chickens in the world than people? I wonder if somebody is called a chicken if that counts towards the chickens..."

"That's a good point, Osaka." Kagura added.

Osaka continued. "I guess if there were more people in the world than chickens, it would be alright for chickens to eat people..."

Chiyo turned pale white and Sakaki's jaw dropped.

"All the chickens in the world couldn't eat Yomi!" Tomo added.

Another chop followed.

They arrived at the train station, and boarded the next one to the track. Little did they know they were being followed by a girl who was waiting all morning at the station.

The gang took seats by the windows, and Chiyo pulled out a pamphlet she downloaded off the web.

"It says here the track is a one mile oval, with 20 degrees of banking in the turns, and 3 degrees of banking in the straights."

Osaka interrupted. "So does that mean we have to wait for people cashing their paychecks to get a seat or something?"

Yomi chuckled. "No, Osaka. Banking is where the turn is higher on one side than the other. It would help the cars stay on the track."

"Oh." Osaka said, not really getting it, but not wanting to look stupid.

Chiyo continued. "It also features a 14 turn road course on the inside of the track. Primarily used for drifting..." Chiyo paused. "I didn't get a chance to look that up. Do any of you know what drifting is?"

Tomo stood up on the seat, fist in the air. "Oh yeah! I catch it on TV from time to time. Drifting is the ultimate motor sport of control and precision!"

Yomi shot a glance at Tomo. "How interesting how somebody who doesn't have any control or precision knows so much about it!"

Tomo smiled and put her hands on her hips. "On the contrary, Yomi. I have the most control of anybody here. I just choose when to use it."

Osaka put her index finger on her lip. "Then why don't ya do it more often?"

Tomo jumped down off of the seat and put her arms around Osaka and Kagura's neck.

"Cause we knuckleheads have to stick together, and it's boring to be in control all of the time!"

Kagura looked up out of the window as the train was slowing. "There it is!" she said.

The track's grand stand rose from the horizon, and they could see the flood of people entering.

Chiyo was standing on the seat peeking out of the window. "It's a lot bigger than I imagined!"

The group was getting excited. All except Sakaki, who was smiling at the cooler, oblivious to the outside world. Also oblivious to the girl looking at her in the same manner...


	3. Welcome to the Speedway

The gang arrived at the track entrance. After paying for their tickets, they made their way to their seats.

Tomo started jumping up and down on her seat. "Isn't this great? I'm glad I thought of this!"

Yomi put her hand on her forehead. "You didn't think of this, idiot! Chiyo-chan was the one who brought it up."

Tomo shrugged. "Chiyo suggested it. I put it into action!"

Yomi felt it was futile to fight with her, so she let it go.

A man a couple of rows behind Tomo started yelling at her. "Hey! Kid! Sit down will ya?"

Tomo turned towards him and stuck her tongue out at him. "Ha! I'm closer to the track than you! Bet that's why you're mad!"

The man laughed. "I wouldn't be so happy about that. You'll see later. Just sit down!"

Tomo sat down and pouted. Then she glanced over at the cooler they brought. "Hey, Sakaki! Gimme a drink will ya, I'm thirsty!"

Sakaki nodded and carefully opened the zipper. She handed Tomo a soda and just as carefully zipped the cooler closed. Then she patted Neco Coneco and sat the cooler beside her.

"These are really good seats," Kagura said. "I wonder why nobody took them yet."

Their seats were entering the first turn in the sixth row. The seats in front of them were empty.

Shortly after words, the announcer came over the loud speaker.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the newly built Fujishima Speedway! We have a treat for you today. The first race will be a professional GT club race around the oval, and the second race will be open to the public in a drifting competition on the road course!"

A loud ovation came from the crowd. The tension was building as they could see the cars lining up on pit road. Tomo started cheering loudly, and Chiyo was glad she didn't have anybody in front of her to obstruct her view. The before race ceremonies were held, and the national anthem was played. Then came the call to start the engines. The 24 cars on pit road roared to life. Yomi's stomach growled right after the engines were fired.

"Was that your stomach, Yomi?" Tomo asked.

"No, that was... a late engine starting up."

Tomo smiled and patted Yomi on the back. "It's ok. I'll make it better. Remember that hot dog?"

Tomo then began looking for a vendor in the stands.

"No, Tomo! I ate before we left!"

Tomo shook her head. "Come on, Yomi! What did you have, a bean and a thimble of water? You need the good stuff!"

The cars began coming onto the track behind the pace car. Kagura started taking pictures with her camera phone.

Chiyo perked up as the cars came by the first time at pace speed. "They sure are loud, huh Miss Kagura?"

Kagura shook her head. "They're not even up to speed yet. Just wait till they're double the RPM's."

Chiyo turned white. "Double? Does that mean they'll be twice as loud?"

Kagura shrugged. "Or more."

The lights went out on the pace car at the finish line. The announcer came over the crowd.

"One lap to green, ladies and gentlemen! This is a green race track, no rubber has been laid down. They're going to be going fast and they're going to be doing it with little to no grip. Let them hear you!"

Tomo was by far the loudest, jumping and yelling. Osaka was staring at the track.

"It don't look green to me..." Osaka said.

Chiyo plugged her ears when the pace car ducked to pit road.

"Green flag!" Tomo screamed.


	4. Green Flag!

The green flag waved as a show of flashbulbs from cameras flicked in the grandstands like a field of stars flickering.

The cars built up speed quickly and headed through turn 1 and 2 still picking up speed. Osaka was still staring at the flashbulbs in the stands.

"Wow," Osaka said. "That sure is pretty."

The cars roared down the back straight and towards Kaorin, who was in turn 3, the complete opposite of the gang.

"Stupid ticket guy," Kaorin muttered. "I lost them in the crowd, and he told me he thought they got turn 3 seats. Now I don't know where Miss Sakaki is at all!"

Kagura nudged Chiyo as the cars came back to the finish line. "Here they come Chiyo!"

The cars came by at full speed this time, the engine noise resonating upwards throughout the stands like the Roman Coliseum.

Chiyo had her fingers in her ears, and she tried to scream something at Kagura. The engines drowned her out, and the rush of the air hit them when the cars were on the back straight.

Osaka seemed the most surprised. "Where did that wind come from?" she asked anybody who could hear her.

Yomi yelled towards Osaka. "The cars are so streamlined and fast that the air off of them don't get here when they do!"

The cars came by again towards the end of her sentence, and Osaka looked at Sakaki who was intently watching the cars. Again, the cars hit the back straight and Sakaki's long hair blew in the breeze.

Tomo was still the loudest there, screaming at the cars as if they could hear her. "Come on and wreck! We want to see some wrecks! Action!"

Yomi smacked Tomo. "Tomo, that isn't nice. Those cars cost a lot of money, and it could put the drivers in danger!"

Tomo shrugged it off. "I'm sure they'd be fine. Besides, I'm sure if any rode in the Yukarimobile, they'd wet themselves!"

Chiyo wasn't sure what Tomo said, but caught the word "Yukarimobile" and started shaking. Suddenly the engine noise wasn't a concern to her anymore.

About 20 more laps passed of the 100 lap event before Tomo got what she wished for. As the leaders were racing down the front straight, a car moved to the inside of another. The stress entering the first turn caused the right front tire to blow on the car to the inside. A loud gunshot like sound echoed towards the girls.

Osaka saw the initial blowout, and watched the tire shred the wheel well apart as sparks started to fly from the rim. The car couldn't turn anymore, and ran into the side of the car it was passing, sending both hard into the wall.

By this time the gang was watching the wreck intently as the cars screamed towards them in an instant. The outside car climbed the wall a little and caught part of the retaining fence, and the inside car bounced back across the track to the infield.

Chiyo ducked and hugged Sakaki for dear life, and Tomo was jumping even higher and screaming even louder. Yellow lights around the track started flashing as the yellow flag flew. The car still on the wall started to catch fire as the driver scrambled to get his belts undone and get out. Rescue crews were there quickly with extinguishers.

Osaka turned towards the girls who were trying to process what they just saw and said, "So that's what an internal combustion engine is all about?"

The girls looked at Osaka, and looked towards the wrecker taking the demolished cars to the garage. Kagura started snapping pictures as Chiyo looked between her and Sakaki.

"Uhh, Miss Sakaki?" Chiyo said pointing to the cooler bewteen them.

A chunk of tire rubber was attached and smoking over Neco Coneco.


	5. The Break Under Yellow

Sakaki gasped at the sight of the kittens covered by the rubber, and quickly opened the cooler. She opened one of the bottles of water as quickly as she could and poured the entire contents on Neco. The rubber came off of the cooler and fell to the concrete below them. Tomo gasped at the water falling to the ground.

"Hey! Now what are we supposed to drink?" Tomo asked.

"I'm so sorry about your cooler, Chiyo. I'll get you another just like it!" Sakaki said not paying attention to Tomo.

"That's alright, Miss Sakaki, you don't have to..." Chiyo insisted.

Sakaki's voice became serious and determined. "No, Chiyo. This cooler was my responsibility. I will get you another."

Chiyo smiled big and cocked her head to the side. Tomo pouted and mumbled to herself.

"What if it gets really really hot here, and the vendors run out of water?" she mumbled.

Yomi sighed. "What are the chances of that happening, really Tomo? It gets so hot that everybody wants a water and they run out? It's the end of May, and this place seats 100,000. There's like half that here."

Tomo perked up. "But if it did get that hot, you wouldn't have to worry about your..."

Yomi interrupted. "Don't you dare say it!"

Tomo smiled and leaned back against the seat back. "What? I was going to say you don't have to worry about your winter coat!"

Yomi knew better, and wanted to chop Tomo for even thinking about her weight. But the anger was making her hungry, so she calmed herself down.

The blinking yellow caution lights around the track walls were mesmerizing to Osaka. She stared at them smiling in her blank stare.

"Yellow. That's the color of Chiyo's dad. I wonder if he has something to do with the wreck that just happened..."

Chiyo's dad floated behind Osaka.

"Hello, Kasuga. How are you? Why thank you..."

Osaka turned around quickly. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

Chiyo-chichi's expression was stone. "My daughter is here in this dangerous place. I would be a bad father if she were unprotected here."

Osaka looked around at the crowd around her and to her friends. None even realized this giant yellow two dimensional cat was even there. Osaka looked at the piece of rubber that fell to the ground.

"So that was your doing?" Osaka asked.

"I protected my daughter. The cooler took the impact of the tire shred." Chiyo-chichi answered.

"Wow," Osaka said amazed.

A hot dog hit Osaka in the head and snapped her out of her daydream.

Tomo was laughing. "Great catch, Osaka!"

Osaka rubbed her head and looked at the hot dog. It was still in the wrapper, none had fallen out, so she decided it was as good as any and took a big bite.

Kagura was freeing up space on her phone for more pictures. "I can't believe I have these pictures on here..." she said aloud.

Chiyo peeked over her shoulder. "Have what, Miss Kagura?"

Kagura blushed and put away the phone out of Chiyo's view. "Nothing, Chiyo. Just freeing up some space..." she said as she was quickly deleting the pictures.

The announcer came back on the loud speaker. "Alright, ladies and gentlemen, it's lap 34 of 100, and pit stops have been made. We're ready to return to racing!"

The crowd responded with a cheer, and Tomo raised her hands in the air, one holding a soda and the other holding a hot dog. Ketchup from her hot dog dripped on Yomi's head.

"Hey! Watch where you're pointing that thing!" she exclaimed.

Tomo smiled. "Come on, Yomi, you can lick it off, right?"

Yomi used a napkin and got off what she could as the cars took the green flag.


	6. Confession Before the Finish

The cars screamed by them coming up to speed. Chiyo pulled out the program she was given at the ticket counter.

"Hey!" Chiyo exclaimed. "There are pit passes available after this race! We can go down and take a look at the cars and the tools and meet the team members!"

Tomo squeezed closer to Chiyo, smashing Yomi in between them in the process. "Great idea, prodigy! Maybe if we're lucky, the drivers will let us take the cars out for a spin!"

Yomi forcefully pushed Tomo back to her seat. "Not a chance, idiot. These drivers probably have to go through some sort of licensing process to even be able to compete!"

Chiyo, wanting to be helpful, read from the program. "Each driver is licensed by the organization and must post a qualifying time fast enough place themselves in the field. The field is then set by fastest time to slowest filling the grid."

Yomi laughed. "Ha! I told you!"

Tomo shook it off. "How hard could it be? Set a fast time. I'll have you know I was the first person to reach the 100 meter mark during our 4 mile endurance race!"

Kagura smiled. "Yeah, but Sakaki and I passed you at the 200 meter mark and finished the race 30 minutes ahead of you..."

Tomo waved her hand. "Details, details. No need to be concerned with the small stuff."

The attention Tomo was attracting to herself was evident. A pair of boys, high school age, yelled at her from a couple sections over.

"Hey, you over there with the delusions of grandeur! Get your friend beside you for us, will ya? The one with the glasses!"

Tomo's eyes filled with fire as Yomi turned to see who it was. Yomi didn't recognize the boys, and neither did Tomo. But that didn't stop Tomo from throwing her hot dog as hard as she could at them.

"Nobody gets Yomi without my permission!" Tomo shouted as she hurled the hot dog.

The hot dog hit the boy closest to them, splattering ketchup and mustard on the other. The boys were upset at her actions, and walked away talking about Tomo's temporary insanity. Yomi glanced up at Tomo, who froze when she realized what she had just said and done.

Tomo chuckled nervously. "Uh, sorry about that. I just don't want you getting hurt, that's all Yomi."

Yomi raised an eyebrow at Tomo. She hadn't seen her burst like that, especially on her behalf.

Chiyo smiled at Tomo. "That's a sign of a great friend, Tomo!"

Kagura smiled and shook her head. "I think it's a sign of something else if you ask me."

Tomo sat down and pouted at Kagura's comment, and Osaka leaned closer to the group.

"I think it's a sign that Tomo needs some medicine. Yelling like that ain't right..." Osaka said.

Sakaki nodded at Osaka's observation, and Tomo was blushing.

"Leave me alone to eat my hot dog. Oh yeah, that's right..." Tomo sighed.

Osaka looked towards the garage area and saw the haulers of the two cars that crashed leaving their parking spaces. "Hey look, y'all! The semi trucks are getting in the race!"

The group watched as the haulers drove under the racetrack using the tunnel under turn 2. Those teams were heading back to their headquarters.

The race was close to finished when Chiyo stood up. "Who wants to come with me to get the pit passes?"

Sakaki stood up. "I will."

Chiyo smiled cheerfully and walked away with Sakaki towards the ticket building. The rest of the group watched the finish of the race, which ended without any other incident. The leader was in front by 5 seconds, or a straightaway distance.

The cars pulled into pit road, and most headed to the garage. The garage was filled with the activity of the second group of drivers getting their cars ready to go. Chiyo and Sakaki returned with the pit passes for all, and the girls began walking to the gate entrance to the garage. Kagura caught someone out of the corner of her eye, and had to look a second time at the person walking to a garage stall.

"Coach????"


	7. In the Garage

Kagura couldn't believe her eyes. Miss Kurosawa was not only in the garage area, but she was fully dressed in a fire suit!

"Hi, Kagura!" Nyamo said.

Kagura looked her over a couple times absorbing the image her eyes were showing her. "Coach, what are you doing in a driving suit?"

By this time the others in the group realized Kagura had ran to meet Nyamo on her own and caught up with them.

"Hi, Miss Kurosawa!" Chiyo said raising her hand in the air.

"Hey guys," Nyamo started. "I see I have some explaining to do. This is all Yukari's idea, really. She wanted me to be her co-driver today during her drifting competition."

Kagura nodded as Tomo's eyes lit up. "How come she asked you and not me? We get along so well..."

Yomi glanced at Tomo. "Yeah, like when your either not at school or sleeping. That's about it."

Tomo wrapped her arm around Yomi and looked at her slyly. "We all know why you're not the co-driver, Yomi.

Yomi fumed and shook her fist at Tomo. "I could be a co-driver just fine, thank you very much, regardless of weight!"

Tomo laughed. "What are you talking about, Yomi? I was going to say you couldn't do it because of your glasses."

Nyamo chuckled nervously and tried to change the subject. "So you all enjoying the racing so far?"

Chiyo nodded. "Yes, Miss Kurosawa. We've had a wonderful time so far! We were hoping to get a look at the cars a little more closely."

Nyamo nodded. "I'm sure being one of the drivers I could pull some strings for you. Wait here while I get clearance."

Nyamo walked into the garage area. Osaka's mind drifted to the sight of Nyamo with a puppet on stings dancing in the garage. She saw the puppet dancing around with a piece of paper on it that said "OK" on it. The imagination Nyamo spoke to Osaka. "It's alright for you to come into the garage area, Osaka..."

Nyamo tapped Osaka on the shoulder. "Osaka?"

Osaka snapped back to the present, watching the group make their way into the garage area.

"I said it's alright for you to come in," Nyamo said.

Osaka smiled. "Thanks, Miss Kurosawa!" she said. They joined the others walking to a GT car being tended to by its crew.

Chiyo walked over to the crew chief and bowed. "Excuse me, sir. Would it be alright if my friends and I looked at your car before you load it on your transporter?"

The crew chief nodded. "Sure, anything for young student. Never stop learning. You'll go far in life as long as you stay inquisitive." He opened the drivers door and stepped back.

The group gathered around the open door and took a look inside. Tomo pushed her way in front and sat in the driver's seat.

"Tomo!" Yomi yelled.

The crew chief smiled. "It's alright. Just don't touch anything, or you'll have your pass revoked!"

Tomo smiled at Yomi wide as if to say "Ha! I got away with it!". Yomi rolled her eyes.

Chiyo peeked in and saw the dash gauges, and looked deeper into the car. She followed the roll bars from the dashboard to the roof to the rear. She noted the fire extinguisher beside the driver and the lever that activated it. She pulled out her notebook and started taking notes.

The crew chief stepped in. "It's quite a machine. It's built in our shop from the ground up. And each is custom made for each driver. So even your tall friend there could fit like a glove.

Sakaki blushed and looked down at the floor.

Kagura was taking many pictures of the car with her phone, while Tomo did her best to be in each one, whether Kagura wanted her in them or not.

Nyamo looked at her watch. "I got to go guys. Driver's meeting. I'll see you later!"

Nyamo began to walk away before Kagura asked a question.

"Hey, Coach! Just what team did Yukari convince to let her drive for them?"

Nyamo shook her head. "None. She's driving her own car."

Chiyo became very worried. "Be careful, Miss Kurosawa!" she yelled.

Nyamo just smiled and waved as she walked away to the meeting.


	8. Kaorin's Luck

Kaorin watched the finish of the race more or less in a state of disappointment. She didn't come out to the racetrack to see a race. As silly as that sounds, she really wanted to sit beside Sakaki and share her company. Possibly, more. So losing her in this vast crowd was disheartening. Here it was, Saturday afternoon, almost Saturday evening and she hasn't accomplished anything. Tomorrow would be dedicated to the mound of homework she had to do. A report on the Iliad for Mr. Kimura's class. And translating English for Miss Tanazaki's class. On top of the fact that she had to hydrate for the run that Miss Kurosawa was planning for Monday. She couldn't focus tomorrow on Sakaki.

"Perhaps next weekend, Kaorin," she said to herself as she stood out of her seat.

Kaorin didn't like the fact that she had to fight three quarters of the people to get out of this sardine can. She finally got to the front gate and looked towards the ticket counter. A mob of people was clearly upset. Being inquisitive, she decided to investigate. Apparently the ticket counter was selling garage passes for the intermission between the two races.

"I wonder how much those are?"

Kaorin got closer and saw the price. 5,200 yen per pass. Kaorin had to quickly make a decision. Did Sakaki get a garage pass, or did she catch the train home? She checked her pockets, and could only come up with 4,000 yen. Glancing up at the windows of the ticket office, a glimmer of hope.

"GARAGE PASSES SOLD OUT!" the giant sign read.

Kaorin smiled. "Maybe they were sold out before Miss Sakaki could get here! That means she's getting on a train right now! I have to hurry!"

With that, Kaorin pushed and shoved her way to the train station. She quickly purchased the ticket back home and boarded. Looking around frantically, she could barely see anybody through the mess of people also making their way home after the race. She made her way to the front of the train as best she could.

"Miss Sakaki?" she would periodically call out. To no avail, she just received blank stares. Giving up, she thought that they either left early and are already home, or they stayed later to let the rush pass. Either way, it was looking like she missed Sakaki. Disappointed, she tried to stand as close to the window. Maybe seeing the scenery pass by would take her mind off of her sorrow.

"What do I have to do to spend time with somebody who truly makes me happy?" Kaorin asked herself. She couldn't come up with an answer.

There were 2 stations between the track and her stop. The first stop came and went, with people coming and going their own separate ways. Kaorin could now get a seat, and she sat down and buried her face in her hands until the next station. They arrived at the next station, and more people got off the train than got on. But the train didn't depart on time. A few minutes passed, and people began asking each other if they knew why the train was stopped. The usher emerged in Kaorin's car.

"Excuse me, everyone," he began. "The brake fluid has began to boil, causing the brakes to lose their functionality. We must give it a chance to cool and assess the condition of the brakes. It is obviously too dangerous to attempt to continue, so we ask your patience. We apologize for any inconvenience you are in."

Kaorin watched as the usher proceeded to the next car and delivered the same message. "Oh great. Today isn't going my way, is it? Now I'm going to be late getting home. I hope mother puts dinner in the oven for me." Kaorin said to herself, not caring who heard her. She slumped down in her seat and shook her head.

"How can this day get any worse?" she mumbled before resting her head on the window waiting for her misfortune to turn around.


	9. Let the Drifting Begin!

Chiyo had pages upon pages jotted down on the physical safety characteristics of the car. She wanted to interview the crew chief.

"Excuse me, Sir. May I have a few minutes of your time?" she asked.

"Sorry, little one. We have to get this thing back up to the shop. After every race, we tear down the engine, and rebuild it before we head off to the next race. Which is at the Twin Ring Motegi, so if you girls can make it out there, we could continue our conversation."

"Oh," Chiyo said dejectedly. "I'd like to, but we're a little pressed for time on the weekends to make a trip out to Motegi."

The chief patted Chiyo on the head. "It's alright. When you get to high school, you can propose a trip to see us! You still have plenty of time before you head to college!"

Chiyo turned red and started shaking her fists. "I'll have you know I am in high school, in fact I'm going to America to study next year!"

Her shouting fell on deaf ears as he was too busy prying Tomo out of the driver's seat.

A threat by security was the only thing to get her to move. The girls watched as the GT car was loaded on the hauler.

"Nice guy!" Tomo said to nobody.

Yomi turned to her. "What do you mean 'Nice guy'? He threatened to arrest you and ban you from the speedway!"

"But did he?" Tomo asked.

Yomi sighed.

"She has a point, Yomi. He was awfully nice not to arrest her," Sakaki said.

Tomo stood proudly. "See, even Sakaki thinks I'm right!"

Osaka closed her eyes and started clapping. "Wow! That don't happen often!"

Yomi wanted this conversation to stop. "Alright, I get it. Tomo is so smart it's inconceivable to fathom her great intellect!" she said sarcastically.

Tomo started jumping up and down. "Yeah, what she said!"

Kagura changed the subject. "So how much stuff do you have, Chiyo-chan?"

Chiyo held up her notebook proudly. "I have so much, I believe Miss Yukari would have to put these things in her car! I can't wait to draw up a proposal!"

Tomo wanted in. "Let me write it! I'd be like, 'Hey Yukari! You'd be stupid not to put all this crap in your car! It might save someone's life, even your own! Or Chiyo's at least!'"

Chiyo shook her head. "That's not a good proposal at all!"

Kagura sided with Tomo. "But Chiyo-chan, that might be the tone that Miss Yukari would listen to..."

Tomo laughed and pointed her finger at Chiyo. "Ha ha! Two against one!" Tomo began dancing around the garage area. "I'm smarter than Chiyo! I'm smarter than Chiyo!"

The announcer came over the loudspeaker. "Attention, ladies and gentlemen in the garage area, please make your way back to the grandstands so the drifting competition can begin."

The girls walked to the gate in the track fence and sat on the front stretch seats this time as the drifting competition was general admission seating.

After the track gates were closed, the driver introductions began. Cars paraded around the track while the announcer called their names. By the looks of the cars, Chiyo came to the conclusion that the first cars in the parade were the most funded or defending champions.

Yomi finished Chiyo's line of thinking. "So that means..."

The last car in the parade came around into view. The Yukarimobile came by the crowd, Nyamo looking away from them not to be associated later with Yukari.

"Here is the final driver and car in today's drifting competition," the announcer began. "You might notice that Miss Yukari Tanizaki has chosen to have a co-driver for this competition. Even though the weight balance will become an issue, let's see how she uses it to her advantage!"

The crowd began to laugh at the obvious difference in looks of the top performance teams and Yukari's car.

Chiyo finished reading her pamphlet. "Drifting is scored by speed entry into the turns, angle that the car slides, and how close to the clipping points is to the front bumper. An ideal drifting run will have a fast entry, sideways carry, and the front bumper actually touches the clipping point. How interesting..."

The girls watched the single car practice runs. The top teams drove fluidly and connected their drifts so they were never driving truly straight.

Yukari sneered at the runs from her driver's seat. "Look at that, Nyamo! What idiots! They're sliding their car around all crazy! We're going to win this hands down!"

Nyamo looked over at her driver. "Yukari, you do realize this is a drifting competition, right?"

Yukari cocked her head to the side. "What in the hell is drifting?"

Nyamo gasped, and pulled her belts tight, and felt Yukari punch the accelerator as the pit road official signaled her to go.


	10. The Yukari Ride Along Program

Wildly spinning the rear tires, Yukari sped out of pit lane onto the drifting course.

"The first turn is a hairpin left!" Nyamo said.

Yukari took the turn too fast, sliding towards the right of the turn.

"Yukari! Hit the brakes!" Nyamo screamed.

Yukari pulled the emergency brake and turned hard into the turn. The back end of the car came around a little, which aroused a few claps from the crowd. But they wanted full sideways sliding controlled by the driver. What they were seeing was a mad woman behind the wheel of a car she didn't know the limits of, or just didn't care to. Yukari continued on the course, and Nyamo did her best to keep her composure throughout.

"Next turns are a left hander followed by an immediate right kicking back towards the banking."

Yukari was too deep in concentration to even hear her. Throwing caution to the wind, Yukari drove her car through the grass, making the left to right handed chicane a straightaway. Clumps of grass and dirt were thrown off of her rear tires.

The girls knew Yukari was doing awful, somebody didn't even have to watch a race in their lives to know. But Tomo was still convinced otherwise. Standing proudly in her seat, she was cheering for Yukari, much to the dismay of everyone around her.

"Go Yukari! This is the best we've seen all day! Let's see those expensive race cars go through grass and dirt like that and keep going!"

Yomi was becoming agitated with her best friend. "She's horrible! This isn't a lawn mowing competition, Tomo! I wouldn't be surprised at all if they didn't even let her compete for the rest of the day."

Tomo shrugged. "You guys have no imagination at all! Except for maybe Osaka, there."

Osaka slowly turned her head to Tomo. "Sorry, Tomo. Can't talk right now. Chiyo-chan's dad is trying to tear down that wall over there. If he does it, I'll have to tell the people who run this place." Then, she slowly turned her head back to the wall in question.

"See? I rest my case," Tomo concluded.

Chiyo was too busy watching the car drive through the grass recalling bad memories to even hear Osaka say her name. Chiyo was just praying for Nyamo's safety at this point.

"Are you trying to get me killed?" Nyamo screamed. Yukari was having too much fun driving through the grass to acknowledge Nyamo.

"Yee Ha!" Yukari yelled as the car came back onto the track and headed towards the banking. Nyamo did all she could and grabbed the handle above the passenger door and held on for dear life as Yukari screamed up the banking. The car bottomed out from the shock of the car going from flat ground to inclined so quickly. A shower of sparks trailed the car until the Yukarimobile's shocks and springs rebounded from the impact.

"Yukari, you're damaging everything under the car!"

"On the contrary, my misinformed PE teaching friend! I am trying to rip parts off the car, therefore making us lighter, hence faster!"

Nyamo didn't understand this logic, and she believed anybody who heard Yukari's reasoning could find fault in it. But that didn't matter now. All that matters is finishing this practice run. Then it hit Nyamo.

"Oh wait! This is only practice! We still have to do at least one heat race! I hope we lose that race so we don't have to do this after that!"

Yukari didn't like Nyamo's tone, and turned sharply off of the banking back to the flat. "Nyamo, is this the thanks I get for taking you out of that stupid swim practice? 'I hope we lose'? That's it! You are no longer my navigator!"

Nyamo smiled evilly. "Good. Then there is a higher being looking out for me I guess!"

Yukari slammed on her brakes. The anti lock brake system either didn't engage, or Yukari disabled it, because the car slid with all four tires locked stationary and the brake rotors glowing red. The car came to a complete stop right on the pit marker, and Nyamo struggled to find the strength to open the door. Yukari got out of the car and stretched and yawned. Nyamo finally got the door open, and tried to stand. Her legs wobbled, and she felt dizzy. Yukari walked over and slapped her on the back.

"You know in college we used to take rides like that, probably even worse in fact!"

Nyamo shook her head. "No way, Yukari."

Yukari sung out. "Yeeesssss waaaayyyyy! But you were a tad bit too drunk to remember those rides, I'd imagine."

Nyamo put her hand on her head. "Remind me never to drink with you again!"

Yukari smiled. "Nope. You just buy, and I'll do the drinking!"

Nyamo began walking back to the garage. She wanted to join her students in the grandstands, a nice and safe place from the havoc Yukari could possibly cause in competition. Yukari called out after her.

"Nyamo!"

Nyamo turned around half heartedly just wanting to get this over with.

"When I win, I'll bring the trophy over to your place every day! Just my way of saying that you could be a part of this, you know!"

Nyamo smiled and waved at her. Walking away, she chuckled to herself. "The day you get that trophy is the day Osaka becomes valedictorian and Chiyo flunks out of school..."


	11. The Calm Before the Yukari

Miss Kurosawa made her way from the garage area to the front straightaway. One of the fence officials opened the fence gate and let her into general admission. She was having difficulty finding the girls, that is until Tomo decided she wanted to help.

"Hey, Nyamo!" Tomo shouted, jumping up and down in her seat.

As Miss Kurosawa made her way up to them, Yomi shook her head.

"You know, Tomo, it's a good thing you don't like to study."

Tomo shrugged and smiled. "Because I'm so smart I don't need to?"

Yomi laughed. "Ha! No, because you couldn't last five minutes in a library!"

Tomo pointed up to the sky. "I take your bet, Yomi!"

Yomi sighed. "That wasn't a bet, Tomo."

Miss Kurosawa walked in on the conversation about that time.

"What bet is that, girls?" Nyamo asked.

Tomo stuck out her chest proudly. "Yomi doesn't think I can last five minutes in a liberry!"

Yomi smacked her forehead. "Li-BRARY!" 

Tomo waved her off. "Whoever. What do you think, Nyamo?"

Miss Kurosawa looked at Tomo who was smiling proudly, then at Yomi who was shaking her head and mouthing "No!" at her. Then glancing over at the others, she noticed Chiyo and Sakaki looking and pointing at the garage area and Kagura taking a picture of Osaka staring directly at the track lighting system. 

Nyamo thought to herself, "It's amazing how they are able to just drift apart like that and snap back together without a problem..."

Nyamo nodded assuringly. "I think if Tomo put her mind to it, she could do it."

Yomi glared at the teacher as Tomo began to poke Yomi. 

"Haha! Nyamo said I could do it!"

Yomi began to meditate to get her mind away from the wildcat that was pestering her.

"Not going to kill her. Not going to kill her. She is just misunderstood. That's all. Yeah. She'll calm down in college. Maybe."

Nyamo made her way to the end of the row next to Osaka. Osaka looked at Nyamo and smiled.

"Hi, Miss Kurosawa!"

"Hello, Osaka."

"I was wondering about something..."

Nyamo braced herself. "Sure, Osaka. What is it?"

Osaka pointed out towards the sun that was setting on the horizon. "See how the sun is going down over there?"

Nyamo looked at the sun. "Yes..."

Osaka pointed up at the track lights that were coming on to illuminate the track. "You see how they're coming on? It's like whatever is making the sun go down is making the lights come on!"

Kagura gasped. "Coach, do you think the moon is what's doing it?"

Chiyo couldn't help herself and jumped in the conversation.

"Miss Osaka, the Earth rotating makes the sun set, and the lights are operated by track workers!"

Osaka stared at Chiyo. "You mean the moon works at the track?" Osaka smiled at Nyamo. "I'm glad he found some work to support his family. Life's got to be hard when cows jump over you all the time."

Sakaki stood up from her seat. 

"They're starting the competition!"

A pair of cars lined up side by side. They were the top two ranking cars from the group. They took off together, and one car took the lead. They drifted nose to tail through the course, leaving skid marks and smoke trails behind them. The crowd roared when they came to the line. The judges posted first round scores on the board. 

The track announcer addressed the crowd. 

"How about that run, ladies and gentlemen? Now they'll line up again, and the second car will lead. Best score between the two rounds wins!"

The cars lined up again, and raced harder the second round. The number one ranked car scored higher, much to the crowd's delight. As a single elimination event, the loser goes home.

The cars proceeded to race according to rank, meaning Yukari's race was the last race of the first round. The girls were so into watching the drifting that nobody noticed it was awfully quiet...

Nyamo looked over at the girls to find Tomo missing.

"Say, girls, do you know where Tomo went?"

The girls looked at each other with blank stares. Then all back to Nyamo and shrugged.

Yomi glanced around, and caught Tomo walking down the stairs towards them. As she sat back down, Tomo looked at Yomi with a calm, expressionless face.

"Tomo, where did you go?" Yomi asked.

Tomo replied very calm and monotone. "Why, Koyomi, I had to purchase a refreshing beverage."

Yomi turned and tapped Chiyo on the arm, and then turned back to Tomo. Chiyo looked at Tomo as well wondering why Yomi got her attention.

Tomo continued. "Koyomi, it isn't proper to disturb young Chiyo during her motorsports experience on my behalf."

Yomi turned back to Chiyo. "You see, Chiyo-chan?"

Chiyo herself was even having trouble taking in what she was hearing. "Miss Tomo, what happened to you?"

Tomo pulled a beer from beside her and took a big gulp. "Why, I believe this alcoholic beverage has counter-acted my hyperactivity."

Yomi's jaw dropped and Chiyo cocked her head to the side. 

Chiyo tried to get her bearings. "Miss Tomo, is that even possible?"

Tomo snickered, and finally burst into laughter. "No! I just acted like Chiyo there for a minute, all stuck up and smart! Fooled you didn't I? Saturday night is alright for racing!"

As Tomo was about to drink some more, Nyamo saw what she had and quickly climbed over the girls to get to the beer. 

"What are you doing with this, huh?" Nyamo screamed.

"Hey, I bought that with my hard earned money!" Tomo answered back.

Yomi smacked Tomo on the back of her head. "You didn't earn that, idiot! You get allowance from your parents that you don't even work for!"

Nyamo sighed at the open can of beer. "Well, I can't let this go to waste, I'm going to have to drink it. Don't let me catch you drinking again, Tomo!"

Tomo stuck out her tongue at Nyamo, then pouted in her seat.

The track announcer came over the loudspeaker. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, the last race this round, let's hear it for our only female driver, Miss Yukari Tanizaki!"

Nyamo looked at her friend lining up her car on the starting line and drank the rest of the beer in one mighty gulp. 

"Here we go. I feel sorry for the guy she's racing," Nyamo said.

Chiyo was behind Sakaki at this point, peeking over her shoulder.


	12. Yukari's Biggest Fan

Yukari was focused on the flagman. When he waved that green flag, she was going to go all out and show these people just what she could do.

Yukari was pumping herself up. "Stupid Nyamo. Not only is she a good PE teacher but a good swimmer, and basketball player, too! But this will show her. That trophy is going to look so good when I bring it to her..."

The car next to her took off, and as Yukari looked up, the green flag was unfurled and waving big.

"Damn it! How did I miss my chance? Well I'll show him who's the better driver here!" Yukari screamed.

The Yukarimobile squealed the tires on takeoff and Yukari rocketed towards the first turn. Hitting the inside rumble strips, she cut the car hard left through the hairpin gaining ground on the lead car.

Tomo was jumping up and down in her seat, holding a big poster board sign with "GO YUKARI-SENSEI!!" on it. Tomo started to run wildly back and forth in front of the girls holding the sign. Blocking everyone's view, taunts of disgust and profanity were directed at Tomo, which she never heard. Stopping in front of Yomi, she held the sign at chest level, leaving Yomi seeing nothing but Tomo's back and the back of her sign.

Yomi elbowed Tomo in the side. "Move, idiot! I'm trying to see Yukari kill herself!"

Tomo rolled up the sign and hit Yomi in the head with it baseball bat style. Then went on doing what she was doing. Yomi turned red and grabbed Tomo from behind.

Tomo, whose minor inebriation didn't help matters much, fell to the ground kicking. Yomi reached for the sign, but Tomo fought back pushing her hands away.

"You're not getting my sign! You might eat it!" Tomo taunted.

Yomi now fought with a burst of adrenaline from her statement. Yomi grunted and was screaming as she put all of her weight on Tomo. Tomo's breath was knocked from her lungs as Yomi finally snatched the sign from Tomo's hand. Yomi stood up, laughing as she ripped the sign into little pieces and threw the debris in Tomo's face. Tomo smiled, catching her breath.

"Well, you didn't eat it after all! What's the matter? No mustard?"

As Yomi was about to dive on Tomo again when the entire crowd let out a gasp, followed by Osaka's observation.

"Miss Yukari is flying like an airplane!"

Tomo and Yomi looked at their friends. All of their faces were in shock and they turned to look themselves.

Yukari's car was still in the air when they looked at it. Yukari had hit the chicane she drove straight through earlier, except she caught more rumble strip, sending the car through the air like a dare devil's car.

Yukari felt time slow down as she was in the air. She managed to realize that the newest video game on the market went on sale on Monday, but she didn't have the money to pay for it. Losing was not an option for Yukari, and she adjusted her driving style to fit her mood. Accelerating up to the car in front of her, she tapped his rear bumper with her front, sending him out of control up the banking and into the wall.

Kagura quickly took a picture, but wasn't sure if she got the crash in frame with the suddenness of the impact. Nyamo's jaw was hanging, and all she could think to herself was "Getting out of that car was the best move I've ever made!"

Osaka watched as the car slid up the track and bounced off of the wall, and when the car came to rest, she turned to Chiyo.

"I don't think that was legal, was it Chiyo-chan?"

Sakaki looked at Osaka. "It wasn't."

Chiyo frantically flipped through her program, finally finding the rules of contact.

"If there is contact on the track, the judges deem who was at fault. The at fault driver is awarded no points for that round."

Yomi pushed her glasses back up onto her nose. "But what about deliberate spinning. Everyone knows that wasn't an accident."

Tomo crossed her arms. "That was an accident. Yukari tried to avoid him, but that's his loss. Yukari finishes the race, her opponent loses!"

Yomi turned back to Chiyo. "Everyone who isn't an idiot knows that wasn't an accident."

Chiyo flipped a couple more pages. "I'm sorry, I'm not seeing anything. I'd say the judges have the final say on elimination."

Yukari crossed the finish line and drove back up on the track. She parked her car at the finish line, and put the nose of the car against the wall. Then, floored the accelerator. A cloud of smoke from the tires bellowed towards the grand stand, and Yukari held out her pointer finger up in the air for the crowd to see.

Chiyo began to cough as the smoke came towards them.

Nyamo shook her head. "I can't believe she thinks she won the race."

Yukari shut off the engine and climbed on the roof of her car. She started flexing her arms and smiling at the crowd, who had fallen silent. Except for Tomo, whose voice was echoing throughout the track.

"Give me a Y! Give me a U! Give me a K! Give me a..."

Yomi smacked her in the head. "Shut up!"


	13. Brawl and the Stall

Yukari was too busy gloating to see the driver she wrecked walking towards her. He was understandably angry, and it showed in his face.

Tomo saw what was about to happen, and tried to lead the crowd into a "Fight!" chant.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Tomo continued chanting, not caring that nobody was joining her. Chiyo wanted to call out to Yukari and warn her, but Nyamo quickly put her hand over Chiyo's mouth.

"Don't do it, Chiyo-chan. Yukari deserves whatever is coming to her."

Kagura readied her camera phone. As she pointed the lens at Yukari, the phone display went dark. She had ran out of battery power using the phone so much over the course of the day.

"Coach! Let me have your phone!" Kagura demanded.

Nyamo already had her phone pointed at Yukari. "It's alright, Kagura. I wouldn't miss this for the world! Now when she gloats, I'll have a nice little video to show her!"

The crowd was now well aware of what was about to happen, and got loud. The sun had completely set by this point, and the flashbulbs of the cameras from all over blinked wildly.

The announcer even got into the action.

"It looks like Endou has some words for Tanizaki!"

This was the tip off to Yukari. Turning towards him, he quickly grabbed her fire suit collar and pulled her face closer to his. Before he could get any words out, Yukari swung her helmet into the side of his knee. Endou went down quickly, holding his knee and hit the ground hard. Track officials and medics were nearby by this time, and security grabbed Yukari. The crowd wanted Yukari to be let go, so they started booing the security guards that were taking Yukari to the series administrator's office.

Endou was taken in the back of an ambulance to the infield care center, and the competition continued as soon as both cars were towed to the garage.

The competition continued into the next round, but still no word on Yukari. Nyamo began to feel worried. Even though Yukari deserved some sort of punishment, this felt odd.

"I'm going to go check on Yukari. Chiyo-chan, you're in charge while I'm gone. Don't let Tomo out of your sight."

Osaka nodded at Chiyo.

"Don't worry Chiyo-chan. I'll take care of that for you!" Osaka stated.

Osaka then began to stare at Tomo, to the point of never blinking. Tomo put her hand up as if she was still in the classroom.

"Nyamo! Why aren't I in charge?"

Nyamo put her hands on her hips. "Because by the end of the night with you in charge, you all would be right next to Yukari wherever she is!"

Tomo smiled. "Well, if we wanted to find her, I can't think of a more perfect way to do it!"

Nyamo shook her head.

"Chiyo, I'll be back soon. Get Sakaki or Yomi to help you if you need it."

Chiyo smiled cheerfully and put her thumbs up. Sakaki looked at Chiyo and smiled, blushing.

As Nyamo made her way out towards the garage, the beer hit Tomo's bladder.

"I have to pee!" she announced to Yomi.

Yomi shrugged. "So? What do you want me do do about it?"

Tomo's face was sad. "I want somebody to come with me!"

Yomi nodded towards Osaka. "Get Osaka to go with you."

Tomo turned to Osaka, who was still staring at Tomo intently. This startled Tomo, she not even realizing that Osaka was staring at her for the last couple of minutes.

Tomo got up slowly. "Well, alright. Come on Osaka, try to keep up!"

Tomo began running in the direction of the bathrooms, Osaka in tow. Osaka kept repeating "Tomo in sight. Tomo in sight." as she was following her.

Tomo reached the bathrooms, and quickly looked for an empty stall. Finding one on the end, she kicked the door in and closed it behind her. Hearing the lock click, Osaka began to get nervous.

"She's out of my sight! I have to do something!" she thought.

Osaka began to look through the cracks of the door, but couldn't see Tomo clearly. She then began climbing up on sinks to try to see over the wall, failing as well. Finally, she did the only thing she could do. Osaka knocked on the door next to Tomo's.

"Taken," a voice said behind the door.

Osaka nodded, and backed up. Getting a running start, she plowed into the door at full speed, knocking the door in on the unsuspecting lady. The woman screamed and ran out of the restroom, causing people to stare. Osaka then climbed on the toilet and peeked over the stall wall, seeing Tomo again.

"Got ya!" Osaka claimed triumphantly.

Tomo jumped. "Osaka! What are you doing up there?"

A male voice came from outside the stalls. "Going to the police checkpoint, that's what!"

Osaka climbed down and smiled at the officer. She then pointed at Tomo's stall.

"Hi, officer! The girl that's in that stall over there is with me. I have to keep her in my sight!"

The officer scratched his head, and shrugged. When Tomo opened the door, the officer handcuffed the two together and began walking them to the police checkpoint.

Osaka smiled at Tomo. "Now you're not going to get out of my sight for sure!"

Tomo was almost in tears. "But I didn't do anything wrong this time!"

The officer paused. Then turned to Tomo. "What was that?" he asked.

Tomo got closer. "I didn't do anything wrong!"

The officer smiled. "How about that? I got a peeping Tom and an underage drinker all in one bust! I'm going to get promoted for sure!"

Walking to the checkpoint, all Tomo could say was "At least I could see the inner workings of the police force! I'm well on my way to INTERPOL!"

The officer chuckled. "If this goes on your record, kiss your INTERPOL dreams goodbye!"

Tomo smiled and thought, "If, huh? We'll just see that it doesn't!"


	14. Nyamo to the Rescue

_Disclaimer: Sorry about the delay, working two jobs is a challenge. First off, thanks to ZeldaPeach, Lady Constantine, and Mylilwashu for the support. Certainly without them, I'd think nobody was reading, and the story would've faded and been much shorter. As far as this chapter, it is NOT meant to offend. I hope you enjoy it, I really didn't have a plan on how Tomo and Osaka get away with it until a couple days ago. Enjoy!_

Nyamo rejoined the girls in the grandstand with a relieved look on her face. Chiyo popped up from her seat and stood.

"What did you find out, Miss Kurosawa?" Chiyo asked.

Nyamo sighed. "Yukari is still talking with the sanctioning body. They're talking about fines, but of course she isn't going to let them do it."

Nyamo glanced at the girls behind Chiyo.

"Chiyo-chan, where is Tomo and Osaka?" Nyamo asked.

Chiyo turned over her shoulder, and then looked to Yomi, who gave a shrug.

"Tomo had to go to the ladies room, and Osaka wanted to go with her," Yomi said.

Nyamo became worried.

"How long ago was that?" she asked.

Sakaki looked at her watch. "About 45 minutes ago."

Nyamo felt the world push down on her shoulders. "Has anyone even checked on them?"

Chiyo raised her hand. "Miss Sakaki and I checked, Miss Kurosawa. They weren't in the one that I checked. But there are over 50 ladies rooms here!"

Nyamo felt her buzz leaving her, and she didn't want to put forth a rescue. "Alright, I guess we're just going to have to split up and find them," Nyamo sighed.

Yomi heard her phone ring. Checking the caller ID, she smiled. "It's Tomo!"

The others huddled up around her as she answered it.

"Hey Tomo, where are you?... Yes, she's here... You're where??...Alright, I'll let her know. You've really done it this time you idiot!"

The others gasped as Yomi hung up the phone. Everyone was asking her at once various questions about Tomo, which were quickly silenced by Nyamo.

"Girls! I'm asking the questions here!"

The girls stopped talking and looked at Nyamo, and all answered with "Yes, Sensei." This certainly wasn't the Miss Kurosawa they were used to seeing, and they didn't want to upset her further.

"Now, Yomi. Where is Tomo?"

Yomi didn't hesitate. "Police Checkpoint 3."

Nyamo closed her eyes and felt her fists clench. "Is Osaka with her?"

"She didn't say."

"What did she say?"

"She wanted you to come get her out of it."

Nyamo took a deep breath, and collected her thoughts. "Alright. I'm going to go fix this. I want the rest of you to stay put. Even if this grandstand is falling around you, I want to see you all in these seats when I get back."

Chiyo was concerned that Nyamo was upset at her because she was in charge when Tomo and Osaka disappeared. "I'm sorry, Miss Kurosawa."

Nyamo couldn't help but smile at the little girl bowing in front of her. "It's not your fault, Chiyo-chan. I'm sure Tomo has a perfectly good explanation for this."

Nyamo was thinking of what they could've possibly done to get held by the police. Arriving at Station 3, Nyamo bowed to the officer in charge.

"Excuse me, Sir. I believe you have two of my students?"

The OIC looked at her with a puzzled look on his face. "The two girls that we caught for underage intoxication and breaking into a bathroom stall are your students?"

Nyamo wanted to strangle them herself, but first she had to get them out of the Station. Thinking for a brief second, she used a tactic that she saw in a movie once.

"Yes, Sir. I teach Special Education..."

The OIC glanced towards the door where they were being held, then back to Nyamo.

"May I see your teaching license?"

Nyamo sighed and pulled out her teaching license. It didn't give a specific area of study on it, so she was hoping it would do. The OIC looked at it for a moment, then gave it back to her.

"What conditions do they have, Miss Kurosawa?"

Nyamo swallowed. "May I see them? That way I can explain it to you."

The OIC nodded, and walked Nyamo into the door quietly. Tomo was looking around at all of the officers, occasionally stopping them to talk about their police training. Osaka had caught the bubbles in her eyes, and were following them around much like in class. Nyamo cleared her throat.

"The hyper one over there, ADHD. And the other, ADD. It's quite a chore to teach them, but I love it."

The OIC watched Tomo and Osaka for a few more moments, then turned to Nyamo.

"I'd sure feel bad punishing children with disabilities. I'll tell you what, I'm in a forgiving mood today. If you take them off Fujishima Speedway property right now, I'll let it go."

Nyamo smiled. "Thank you, Sir!"

The OIC pointed his finger at Nyamo. "But! If I see them again 10 minutes from now, I'll charge them AND you."

Nyamo bowed again, and walked up to the girls. Tomo jumped up and hugged her.

"Nyamo!"

Nyamo elbowed Tomo in the side and cleared her throat. "How many times have I asked you to call me 'Miss Kurosawa', Tomo?"

Tomo stood puzzled for a moment, then saw Nyamo glance over to the OIC and back to her.

"Oh, sorry about that, Miss Kurosawa."

The way Tomo said it didn't sit well with her, but it would have to do. Osaka smiled and hugged Nyamo as well.

"Thanks, Miss Kurosawa!"

Nyamo patted Osaka on the head, then smiled at the OIC again. "Got to love kids, huh?"

Nyamo led them out of the police checkpoint, and once they were out of hearing distance from it, Tomo opened up.

"Hooray for Nyamo!"

Nyamo pulled Tomo's ear. "Tomo, don't you ever do that to me again!"

Tomo smiled. "Well, as long as Osaka doesn't plan on barging into any more bathroom stalls, I won't!"

Osaka spoke up from behind them. "But this ain't my fault. Miss Kurosawa wanted to keep an eye on you and I couldn't while you were in there!"

Nyamo grabbed Osaka's ear as well. "Enough! Let's just have a nice, pleasant, QUIET walk to the front gate, shall we?"

The girls did as she asked, and when they got to the front gate, Tomo and Osaka sat down on a set of benches. Nyamo put her hands on her hips.

"Alright, girls. I'm going back inside to get the others. Now do you promise to stay right here until we get back?"

Tomo was reclined with her legs crossed. "No sweat! You don't have to worry about us!"

Nyamo shook her head. "I'll be right back. I'm serious. Don't move!"

Osaka nodded and Tomo stuck her tongue out at Nyamo as she walked back inside. Tomo slapped Osaka on the back.

"So, Osaka. That was fun, wasn't it?"

Osaka sat motionless, and Tomo heard something very faint.

"What, Osaka?"

Osaka looked at Tomo only with her eyes keeping her head still, and said without moving her lips, "Uh oh."

Tomo blinked. "Uh oh, what?"

Osaka mumbled. "I have to go to the bathroom."


	15. There's Still Hope!

Kaorin was staring out at the station with an upset look on her face. She was playing the day through her mind, wondering where it was that she missed Sakaki. She was right behind her on the train, but lost her in the crowd exiting the door. One would think that a girl that tall would be easy to spot in a crowd, but Kaorin's shortness in tight quarters made spotting her difficult. And that ticket guy giving her the wrong information didn't help matters at all, either.

As she was spacing off in the distance, an elderly man sat beside her and started a conversation.

"Coming from the track, young one?" the old man asked.

Kaorin jumped a little at the remark, as she didn't see him approach her. She tugged on her shirt and tried to play the jump off as intentional.

"Yes, sir. I went with a bunch of my friends, but lost them in the crowd."

The old man shook his head. "Shame. Wouldn't they have come looking for you?"

Kaorin chuckled nervously. She didn't want to clue him in on the fact that not only was she not with them to begin with, but not even invited!

"You'd think so. I guess they couldn't find me in that crowd, either."

The old man smiled. "Well, at least you'll have different stories to share about the day. A different perspective is sometimes refreshing."

Kaorin smiled. She never thought of it that way. She wasn't going to share her stories with the others, but only Sakaki. She could say how she was going there on her own, and then maybe she'd get invited by Sakaki to go again sometime! Kaorin blushed and hugged herself.

"Are you alright, young one?" the man asked.

Kaorin felt a little embarrassed, but said she was.

The conductor came through the cars one at a time. "Ladies and gentlemen, the engineer is testing the brakes one final time. We should be underway in approximately ten minutes."

The man smiled at Kaorin. "Well, looks like we'll be home in no time, now."

Kaorin didn't want to go home. She wished she was with the group, and as they all went their separate ways, Sakaki would ask her if she'd like to come back to her house and share stories about the day. Kaorin started blushing again.

"There you go, again. What is it you're thinking about?"

Kaorin didn't want to be rude to him, he was just curious. But she didn't want to tell her fantasies to anybody, especially a stranger whom she just met on a stranded train.

"Oh, just some fun times my friends and I have had."

The man sat back in his seat and stretched. "It sure has been a long day. The track is such an electric atmosphere."

Kaorin sighed. She knew he was going to go on about nothing for the rest of the train ride. She let him continue, and focused her attention outside.

The man continued. "At the track, you see interesting people as well. Like I saw this group of girls, looked about your age. But this girl was the tallest I'd seen, with the longest black hair. And she was with the littlest girl with these short little pigtails. It was quite a sight to see them together."

Kaorin quickly grabbed the man's arm. "This girl, where was she?"

"They were walking towards the garage area. I think I heard them say that they were staying for the drifting event right after the race."

Kaorin had a renewed resolve. "I can still catch her!" she thought to herself.

She quickly got up from her seat as the conductor was coming through.

"Miss, the train is departing, you can't..."

"Open this door!" Kaorin demanded.

The conductor started to tell her to sit back down, but Kaorin quickly reached for the emergency stop cord.

"Open it, or I'll pull this thing and we won't be going anywhere!"

The conductor opened the door, and Kaorin quickly ran across the way to the train heading back to the track.

"I can still catch her!" she said as she climbed aboard the other train.

Settling in, she looked back at the station as the train started moving. She was feeling great now, almost like somebody had flipped a switch and she was running at full power. No longer tired and full of hope, she knew her luck was turning around. It was only going to be a matter of time before her and Miss Sakaki were together again.


	16. Calling in a Favor

Nyamo fought the crowd leaving in the opposite direction making their way to the exits as she headed to the seats that were supposed to be filled by four girls who were told to be there. She hoped they did what they were told, and told herself that everything was alright.

"Those are my most responsible students, I'm sure they'll be there."

Nyamo walked out to see the stands empty, except for the girls all alone on the front straightaway. Sighing in relief, she made her way down to them. Chiyo saw her coming and stood up.

"We're here, Miss Kurosawa. Just like you asked."

Nyamo smiled. "Thanks, Chiyo-chan. I knew I could count on you all."

Yomi was leaning in her seat resting her chin on her palm. "What about Tomo and Osaka?"

Nyamo rolled her eyes. "I had to think fast, but that's all taken care of. They're outside waiting for us. At least supposed to be. Ready to go?"

The girls packed up what they brought with them and began walking to the exit when Nyamo's phone rang.

"What now?" Nyamo asked pulling the phone out of her pocket. "It's from Yukari, hold on a second."

The girls sat in some seats near them while Nyamo took the call.

"Yukari! Where are you?"

The girls tried to hear Yukari on the other end but couldn't make out exactly what she was saying. But they could tell she wasn't in a good mood.

"What do you mean you need a favor?"

Yomi shrugged at Kagura as Chiyo looked up at Sakaki.

"Yukari, I am not going to let that happen! Yes, I'm serious!"

Yukari's voice was irate and garbled on the ear piece.

"And what do I get out of this? Make that 3 dinners."

Chiyo scratched her head. "I wonder what kind of deal Miss Kurosawa is making with Miss Tanizaki..."

Yomi pushed her glasses up on her nose. "I don't know, but I don't like the sound of it."

Nyamo turned towards the girls. "And you sure it's one time only? This isn't going to be a permanent change, right? Well, alright Yukari. Keep in mind if you don't follow through, I won't either. See you on Monday."

Nyamo hung up the phone and put it back in her pocket. Nyamo was rubbing her temples mumbling to herself.

"The things I do to save her."

Chiyo tugged on Nyamo's shirt. "What was that about, Miss Kurosawa?"

Nyamo jumped and caught her breath. "Nothing. No, nothing at all. What makes you ask that?"

Kagura playfully punched Nyamo's arm. "Come on, Coach. Tell us what kind of trouble she's in."

Nyamo chuckled. "None now, thanks to me."

They walked to the gates where they met Tomo and Osaka. Tomo ran full speed towards them flailing her arms wildly.

"I just saw Yukari drive away from here! What kind of trouble did she get into?"

Chiyo smiled. "None, thanks to Miss Kurosawa."

Tomo jumped up and hugged Nyamo. "Hooray for Nyamo! Did she sell her soul to you or something?"

Nyamo chuckled nervously. "No, not really."

Osaka walked up and joined in. "Why would she want to sell you the bottom of her shoes, Miss Kurosawa? I bet they'd be really dirty, and a mess to clean up."

The girls all groaned at Osaka, who was smiling at the group regardless.

Nyamo looked over at the train station. A train had just arrived.

"Let's hurry girls, before that train leaves!"

The girls ran to the station and got their tickets. They found the car in the back empty for the most part as the trains taking the bulk of the crowd away had already left. Tomo and Yomi sat in the back corner, Chiyo and Sakaki sat across from them next to the window. Osaka and Kagura sat next to the window beside them and Nyamo sat where she could see them all.

Tomo looked back at the track through the glass. "Wow! What a great day. Glad I thought of it!"

Yomi groaned. "For the last time, you did not think of this!"

Tomo smiled. "Good. Since that was the last time you were going to tell me that, I'm glad I thought of this!"

Sakaki looked at Chiyo's cooler they had brought. "Chiyo-chan, I'll bring the new cooler to school on Monday, alright?"

Chiyo looked up at her. "You really don't have to Miss Sakaki. But if you insist."

Sakaki nodded, blushing. "I do."

Osaka was looking out at the next train pulling up, and thought she saw somebody familiar.

"Is that Kaorin?" Osaka asked the group.

They all moved closer to the windows and saw Kaorin running off the train and looking around. As she turned to run towards the track, Tomo screamed out of the window.

"Hey, Kaorin! You're too late for the race!"

The train began to pull away as Kaorin saw them. She began waving her hand. "Miss Sakaki, wait!"

The train picked up speed and was a dot on the horizon when Kaorin fell to her knees and hit the ground with her fist.

"Not fair! Not fair at all!"


	17. Inbox: 1

Chiyo's alarm clock started buzzing at 4. She got up and petted Mr. Tadakichi, who barked quietly. Turning off the alarm clock, she headed towards the kitchen for her morning ritual of fixing her lunch. She looked over at her cooler she took to the track which she had set on the counter and smiled.

"I wonder if Miss Sakaki will bring me a new one today?"

Chiyo carefully packed her bento box and nodded in satisfaction. Making her way to her computer, she grabbed a glass of milk she had poured and sat down at her desk. She smiled as her email account loaded up.

"Welcome, MihamaChiyo3! One new message." the display read.

Clicking on the inbox, she saw the sender.

"Superswimstar29. That's Miss Kagura! These must be the pictures from the racetrack."

She opened the attachments, and smiled at the pictures as she looked through each one.

"Miss Tomo is in most of these!" Chiyo chuckled noticing Tomo throwing some part of her body into frame as Kagura had taken them. Then she came across one that didn't have Tomo in it. It was a picture of Chiyo and Sakaki after the blown tire piece had nearly hit them during the first race. Chiyo blushed. Sakaki had her arm around Chiyo, who was pale and shaking at the near miss.

"That's a good one," she said as she right clicked and set it as her background.

Yomi awoke Monday morning to the sound of a knocking on her window.

"Hey, sleepy head! Get up!" she heard outside.

Yomi rolled over slowly finding her glasses on the table beside her bed.

"There is no way that's Tomo this early," she moaned.

The knocking continued.

"Don't tell me you were up all night listening to that radio show again!"

Yomi groaned and walked to her window. She saw Tomo outside smiling and waving.

"Let me in!" Tomo yelled.

Yomi opened her window and Tomo made her way in.

Yomi scratched her head as Tomo closed the window behind her.

Tomo wrapped her arm around Yomi's neck tightly.

"It's about time! With treatment like that, I won't invite myself over anymore!"

Yomi pushed her away and looked at her clock.

"What exactly are you doing here at 530 in the morning? I still had a half hour!"

Tomo smiled and turned on Yomi's computer.

"Because Kagura sent us the pictures from the track last night. I'm just making sure you saw them."

Yomi felt like pushing her off the chair but wasn't awake enough to muster the energy.

"I would've seen them later, what's so important that it couldn't wait?"

Tomo logged onto her email account. Yomi looked over Tomo's shoulder as her eyes adjusted to the screen.

Tomo was flipping through the attachments when Yomi was reminded of her screen name.

"EmpressTomo4Ever? Honestly Tomo, that doesn't come off as arrogant?"

Tomo, still looking through the pictures, shook her head.

"No, it's not arrogant when it's the truth, Miss LonelyKoyo . Ah, here we go."

Yomi looked closely at the picture on the screen and rolled her eyes.

The picture was just after Tomo and Yomi started fighting when Tomo wouldn't move her sign out of the way. Tomo was laying on the concrete with Yomi sitting on top of her. Yomi was pushing Tomo's face away from her and smiling.

Tomo reclined and put her hands behind her head.

"Enjoying yourself much? Looks like you like being on top of me."

Yomi turned a bright red and picked up Tomo by the collar.

"Tomo! Out! Out! Out!"

Tomo was still laughing as she was being carried back to the window.

"Imagine if that got around school! Yomi likes me! Yomi likes me!"

Yomi opened her window and put Tomo outside like a small animal.

"Tomo! Do not spread that or so help me!"

Tomo shrugged.

"Don't you worry about me. I'd worry about Osaka putting it in the school forums or something. You know she wouldn't think anything about it."

Yomi pointed towards the school.

"Away, Tomo! Go away!"

Tomo smiled and waved.

"Alright. See you at school."

Yomi walked back to her desk and looked at the picture still on the screen. She still heard Tomo singing in the distance.

"Yomi likes me! Yomi likes me!"

Yomi put her head on the desk and closed her eyes.

"Yeah, Tomo. See you at school."

Sakaki woke up to the sun flooding through her bedroom window. Her eyes focused on her posters of various cats and dogs. Smiling, she got out of bed and patted the new cooler she got for Chiyo yesterday. Sundays are usually slow for business, so she got to really find one that Chiyo would like. She even cut into her Okinawa money for it, but she had a couple of weeks to make up for it before the class went.

Sakaki sat down at her desk and opened her email inbox.

"SakakiConeco, one new message," Sakaki read aloud.

Opening the email, she saw it was from Kagura.

"Hey Sakaki. I got these to you slower than I would've liked. I know I could've gotten these to you faster than you could've to me. At any rate, enjoy," Sakaki read aloud.

Opening the attached images, she blushed at the ones of Chiyo. She looked so small compared to the rest of the girls, and the rest of the track for that matter. She got to the same picture Chiyo had saved earlier and stopped. Sakaki blushed and gasped, covering her mouth. Smiling, she plugged in her printer and printed it out. She carefully replaced one of her animal pictures in a frame with that one she had just printed.

"Thanks for inviting me, Chiyo-chan," Sakaki said before realizing she had just enough time to catch the train to school.

Osaka stumbled out of bed to her bathroom. She washed her face, and smiled to herself in the mirror.

"Good morning, Ayumu!" Osaka said to her reflection.

Walking back to her room, she got changed into her uniform and sat down to check her email.

Clicking on the inbox, there were two new messages.

The first read "InsertScreenNameHere, you could've already won 10 million yen!"

Osaka tilted her head to the side.

"I didn't even know I was trying to!"

The next message was from Kagura.

"Hey Osaka! You really need to change your screen name. That was just telling you where to put a name in. If you want, I can show you how to change it. Here's the pictures from the track."

Osaka looked below the message, but there was only white.

"Images attached? I don't see them!" Osaka complained to the monitor.

Osaka scrolled down to the bottom of the screen and back up to the message.

"I don't see any. I'm going to have to tell her she didn't send it right."

Osaka turned off her monitor and made sure everything in her room was in order before heading to the train station.


	18. Change In Plans

Chiyo smiled as she put her shoes in her locker and grabbed her school slippers. She was eager to see everyone again, even though she had just spent a memorable weekend with them. Sakaki walked up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hey, Chiyo-chan. I brought this for you," Sakaki said blushing.

Chiyo took the cooler from her and smiled at it.

"I like it better than my old one! Thanks, Miss Sakaki!"

Sakaki nodded and headed towards the classroom. Chiyo heard the commotion of Tomo echoing through the halls.

"And would you believe it? They were coming straight at me! But I wasn't scared. I just laughed as they hit the wall in front of me."

Chiyo waved at Tomo as she came around the corner.

"Hi, Tomo! Did you spend yesterday recovering from the track?"

Tomo laughed and waved her hand.

"No, of course not. Yesterday I took all of the pictures of me that Kagura took and submitted them to a modeling agency. You know hot girls and hot cars are a match made in Heaven!"

Yomi appeared behind Tomo, and responded without missing a beat.

"And all of the pictures you were in, you were blurry and moving just trying to get into frame. I don't see how any agency would take you."

Tomo shrugged.

"It's all a matter of photo editing. A cut here, a paste there, a crop around the edges, and you have a great picture. That's how it's done nowadays. And I know for sure that's what they'd have to do if you submitted any pictures, Yomi!"

Yomi took one of her slippers and smacked Tomo in the back of the head and in the same motion put it on her foot.

"I wouldn't be dumb enough to put myself in the public spotlight like that to be scrutinized by the masses."

"Hey!" a voice said behind them.

The girls jumped as they turned to see Osaka was standing there quietly all along, not even being noticed by anybody.

"That's not very nice calling them that."

Yomi looked at Tomo, who looked at Chiyo.

"Being croûton-ized by..."

Yomi quickly stopped her.

"The masses, Osaka. Masses. There was an M at the start of that word."

_Later in class..._

Yukari opened the door to her classroom and entered cheerfully. As the class stood, they noticed she was smiling. Something was a miss with Yukari, or at least something out of the ordinary.

Chiyo raised her hand.

"You seem awfully happy today, Miss Yukari."

Yukari sat down and reclined back.

"So how was everyone's weekend?" she asked.

Chiyo raised her hand again.

"Mine was..."

Yukari abruptly cut her off.

"Nobody cares! Mine was great, and I think I learned something this weekend. It's not about what you know. It's all about WHO you know, and in this case I think you all will also learn about that. Since I am in such a good mood, I'm not going to teach today. I am going to sit back and relax until you all go to your gym class next period."

Yukari then began to chuckle to herself. Laughing harder, she finally burst into all out laughter. The girls looked around at each other wondering if Yukari had gone insane over the weekend.

Tomo offered her opinion to Yomi.

"I think the hits at the track rattled her brain around."

Yomi crossed her arms.

"Maybe that's what you need to do to set yourself normal."

Tomo stuck her tongue out at Yomi as the bell rang. Yukari called out at them as they were leaving the room.

"Have fun in gym class!"

The door shut behind them, but they could still hear her laughing as they made their way to the gymnasium. Nyamo met them with a distressed look on her face.

"Here we go, Yukari," Nyamo said to herself as the girls went into the locker room to change. "I hope this isn't going to get me fired." She turned to a figure beside her. "I want you on your best behavior, do you hear me? And you better enjoy this, because this is only going to happen today." Turning back to the locker room entrance, she made her way inside to tell the girls about a slight change in plans for today.


	19. The Substitute

Inside the locker room, talk was still about Yukari. The only time they had seen her this happy was when she was winning at something. But what exactly was she winning at today?

Kaorin came into the locker room after the other girls with a cast on her left hand. It was covering her ring and little finger and ran to her wrist. Sakaki noticed it first, and stood by Kaorin as she changed.

"Hi, Kaorin. What did you do to your hand?"

Kaorin looked up at Sakaki and smiled.

"Hand? What about it?"

Kaorin looked at her hand and realized what Sakaki was talking about. She had completely forgotten it was there when Sakaki spoke to her.

"Oh this? I um..."

Kaorin didn't want to tell her the truth, that she had fractured them on the concrete outside of the racetrack. That would make her look stupid in front of Sakaki.

"My cat bit my fingers up, I guess he got angry at me."

Sakaki looked at her own hand and blushed.

"I can relate. Well, I'll see you around."

Kaorin froze as Sakaki walked away. She was cool even when she was injured.

Tomo laughed.

"Hey everyone! Let's give Kaorin a... HAND!"

Tomo laughed even harder at herself, and nobody joined in. The girls walked out of the locker room, Tomo still chuckling to herself. Nyamo was standing on the court with her hands on her hips.

"Gather around, everyone. I've got some news for you all."

The class gathered around her and Nyamo sighed heavy.

"Here we go..." Nyamo thought.

"Class, the school has directed me to participate in a new teacher cross training program. In the event of teachers not being able to teach due to illness or emergency, the training program will allow another teacher to take their spot. So I will not be teaching gym today."

A gasp filled the air from the students. Chiyo raised her hand.

"Miss Kurosawa? That's not a program I'm familiar with. When did this happen?"

Nyamo sighed again.

"Over the weekend. They told me Saturday."

The girls looked at each other, and Yomi whispered to Chiyo.

"That was the day we were at the track. Do you think this is that favor Yukari was asking about?"

Chiyo shrugged.

"I don't know. Why would Miss Yukari want to teach PE? She already tried that and failed miserably. Is this some sort of revenge?"

Nyamo continued.

"So, students, I give you your substitute teacher, Mr. Kimura."

The class was completely silent, aside from Kaorin.

"Not fair! Not fair at all!"


	20. Stretching

_Greetings, all. I finally decided to finish what I started and I apologize for the delay. I appreciate your patience. _

Mr. Kimura stood in front of the girls with his traditional expression. Kaorin was shaking, and tried her best to stay calm. She knew something bad was going to happen to her, it was only a matter of time.

The class remained silent, and Mr. Kimura was motionless. Chiyo decided to take charge.

"Mr. Kimura, we usually start by stretching. I usually lead that."

Mr. Kimura tilted his head to the side, then slowly looked at Kaorin.

"Kaorin will lead stretching today," he said.

Kaorin muttered to herself, and looked at her cast. This was her chance.

"But Mr. Kimura, I can't participate in class today. My hand is in a cast." Kaorin then raised her cast high into the air for all to see. She felt triumphant, satisfied with her quick thinking.

"That's great news!" Mr. Kimura said. "Now you can sit by me for the duration of the class!"

Kaorin screamed. The other girls looked at her, and Tomo pointed at her and started laughing.

"Haha! Kaorin likes Mr. Kimura!"

Kaorin quickly ran towards the doors of the gym.

"I'm going to the nurse!" she screamed behind her.

The class then fell silent again as Mr. Kimura watched her leave. Nyamo stepped in and did her best not to lose her control.

"Mr. Kimura, are you going to teach this class or not?"

Mr. Kimura looked down at the ground and back to the girls.

"Chiyo, begin stretching please."

Chiyo nodded and took her position in front of the group. Nyamo walked out of the gym once Chiyo began and met Yukari outside the door. Yukari was covering her mouth holding in her laughter. Nyamo sighed.

"I bet you think this is so funny, don't you?"

Yukari snorted and pointed towards the doors.

"Did you see that? He's absolutley loving this! I think it's funner watching him teach than it is actually joining your stupid class!"

Nyamo crossed her arms.

"It's not a stupid class. I cannot believe his brother was on the sanctioning body at the track."

Yukari smiled.

"I couldn't believe it either. But once I saw "Kimura" on the name plaque, I just had to ask. His brother teaches PE, I get off the hook. Brilliant plan, huh?"

"But let's not forget the other half of that deal, shall we?"

Yukari waved her off.

"Alright fatty, I'll get you your steak. But you buy the beer."

Nyamo felt her blood boil.

"You'll drink way more beer than I will eat steak. That's not fair at all!"

Yukari smiled at the doors to the gym.

"Life's not fair. Just ask those girls in there."

Nyamo looked inside the small window inside the gym and saw Mr. Kimura standing at the rear of the formation while they bent over and stretched their hamstings.

"I'm so sorry girls," Nyamo said to the glass. Yukari laughed as she walked down the hall towards the teachers lounge.


	21. Next Weekend?

The class seemed to take forever, but the bell finally rang. The girls made their way back to the classroom after changing.

"That was a fun class. We just stretched the whole time! If all of PE was like that, I might have an A!" Tomo commented.

Yomi raised her glasses up on her nose.

"Not likely. You'd still find a way to fail at it."

Tomo put her arm around Yomi and smiled.

"I'm sure if PE was Personal Eating instead of Physical Education, you'd be the teacher!"

Yomi pushed Tomo away and the two began wrestling on the floor. Tomo continued.

"In fact, if I counted as many calories as you do, I'd have an A in math, too!"

The rest of the group knew they would be along shortly, so they headed on to class.

Chiyo sat at her desk and pulled out her materials. Osaka and Sakaki joined around her.

Osaka stared at the door looking for Yomi and Tomo to come through.

"So what do you want to do this weekend, Chiyo-chan?" Osaka asked.

Chiyo, still organizing her desk, answered.

"I was thinking about going to this new arcade that opened up. That would be something we all could do."

Sakaki nodded. "I'm not much of a gamer, but I would like to watch."

Kagura walked by.

"Yeah, that sounds good. I'd like to try one of those dancing games I've been hearing about. Apparently you have to be pretty fit to do them on the hardest setting."

Osaka turned to Chiyo.

"Wow. I haven't done a dancing game before. You wanna try it with me, Chiyo-chan?"

Chiyo smiled and nodded. Osaka's mind drifted to a ballroom of the 1700's. Osaka was wearing a large flowing dress and had her hair up Victorian style. Chiyo came in wearing a Nobleman's jacket and was wearing a white wig with curls. They began to waltz as the roof came was torn off by Chiyo-chichi.

"Stop dancing with my daughter!" the cat said, turning bright red.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" Osaka yelled out.

"Didn't mean to do what?" Yomi asked.

Osaka realized she had just screamed out in the middle of class.

"Nothing," Osaka said smiling.

Tomo rushed in.

"Great idea! How about we go to that arcade this weekend? They got this new shooting game I have to try!"

Yomi groaned.

"Tomo, that was Chiyo's idea... Oh never mind."

**END**

_Thanks again for reading. It took me a while to catch the writing bug again. I liked how this story turned out, and it became much longer than I had anticipated. I'd like to re watch the series in the near future and bring another Azu fanfic. Thinking maybe even an AU story, so I'm only bound by the characters and not the story. Thanks again, and I hope to have a new one up soon._


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